Capstone Concept for Joint Operations—Joint Force 2020

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Table of Contents

Foreword.. iii

1. Introduction.. 12. Future Security Environment.... 13. The Concept: Globally Integrated Operations.. 44. Select Implications for Joint Force 2020. 85. Risks of Adopting this Concept.. 14

6. Conclusion.......... 15


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1. IntroductionThis Capstone Concept for Joint Operations(CCJO) describes potentialoperational concepts through which the Joint Force of 2020 will defendthe nation against a wide range of security challenges. Its purpose is toguide force development toward Joint Force 2020, the force called for bythe new defense strategic guidance, Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership:Priorities for 21stCentury Defense.

A capstone concept by definition articulates a high-order vision ofhow the future force will operate. It cannot by itself provide the detailedguidance necessary to realize the Joint Force of 2020. It can, however,describe the future operating environment, advance new concepts forjoint operations, and suggest attributes that will define the future force.In this way, the CCJO aims to establish a bridge from the new strategicguidance to subordinate concepts, force development guidance, andfollow-on doctrine.

This CCJO focuses on what is new and different in the futurestrategic environment. It builds on prior capstone concepts, but alsorecognizes that much of the nature of conflict in the world is enduring.War remains a clash between hostile, independent, and irreconcilablewills each trying to dominate the other through violence. Enemies willcontinue to search for, find, and exploit U.S. vulnerabilities. Even whenwaged with increasingly sophisticated technologies, the conduct ofmilitary operations remains a fundamentally human enterprise.

Finally, this concept recognizes that military force is only oneelement of national power. In many cases strategic success will turn onour ability to operate in concert with the rest of the U.S. government,allied governments and their armed forces, and nongovernmentalpartners.

2. The Future Security EnvironmentSustaining U.S. Global Leadershipidentifies ten primary missionsthrough which the Joint Force will protect U.S. national interests:

Counter terrorism and irregular warfare Deter and defeat aggression Project power despite anti-access/area denial challenges


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Counter weapons of mass destruction Operate effectively in cyberspace and space Maintain a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent Defend the homeland and provide support to civil authorities Provide a stabilizing presence Conduct stability and counterinsurgency operations Conduct humanitarian, disaster relief, and other operations

The Joint Force will accomplish these missions in a securityenvironment characterized by several persistent trends: the proliferationof weapons of mass destruction, the rise of modern competitor states,violent extremism, regional instability, transnational criminal activity,and competition for resources. Armed conflicts will be inevitable insuch an environmentas will be opportunities for cooperation andpeaceful competition.

These are some of the continuities. We also anticipate differencesgoing forward. The diffusion of advanced technology in the globaleconomy means that middleweight militaries and non-state actors cannow muster weaponry once available only to superpowers. Theproliferation of cyber and space weapons, precision munitions, ballisticmissiles, and anti-access and area denial capabilities will grant moreadversaries the ability to inflict devastating losses. These threats placeour access to the global commons at risk, target our forces as theydeploy to the operational area, and can even threaten forces at theirpoints of origin. Meanwhile, adversaries continue to exploreasymmetric ways to employ both crude and advanced technology to

exploit U.S. vulnerabilities. Consequently, the capability advantage thatU.S. forces have had over many potential adversaries may narrow in thefuture. Adversaries will not only have more advanced capabilities inevery domain. More of them will have the ability to simultaneously fightacross multiple domains.

Space and cyberspace will play a particularly important role inthe years ahead. As these domains figure more prominently in theprojection of military power, operations in them will become both aprecursor to and integral part of armed combat in the land, maritimeand air domains. Future adversaries may even elect to attack only in

cyberspace, where military networks and critical infrastructure arevulnerable to remote attack, and actions remain difficult to trace.

The diffusion of technology that is transforming warfare is alsoreshaping global politics. Social media can catalyze protests in daysthat popular movements once took months or years to build. Thepenetration of mobile technology especially in developing nations willdramatically increase the number of people able to access and share


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information rapidly. The ubiquity of personal communications deviceswith cameras and full motion video also allows much of the world toobserve unfolding events in real time, rendering future operationsincreasingly sensitive to popular perceptions. As we have learned inIraq and Afghanistan, military actions will receive intense media

scrutiny, a dynamic that potentially invests otherwise inconsequentialactions with strategic importance.

Digital technology is also profoundly altering command andcontrol within our own military and between military and civilianleaders. Just as commanders now have greater connectivity with theirsubordinates, national command authorities will enjoy extensivevisibility of joint operations, changing how military and political leadersrelate as operations unfold.

In this new global political environmentdistinguished by digital

networks and worldwide flows of capital, material, people, andinformationthe geography of threats and crises grow more complex.While most security challenges remain rooted in a place or region, manywill be driven byand in turn drivetransnational dynamics. In aworld where fragile critical infrastructure is widely connected to theinternet, and in which sabotage and terrorism have profound effects,adversaries can also more easily escalate a conflict laterally, includingto the U.S. homeland. In such a world, the dimensions of anyparticular security challenge may not align with existing boundaries orcommand structures. Likewise, the conventions by which wars arefought are no longer as settled as they once were. Notions of who is a

combatant and what constitutes a battlefield in the digital age arerapidly shifting beyond previous norms.

Taken together, these factors give rise to a future securityenvironment likely to be more unpredictable, complex, and potentiallydangerous than today. The accelerating rates of change present in somany aspects of this future security environment will require greaterspeed in the planning and conduct of military operations. Once in afight, adversary capabilities and tactics will also shift more quickly.

With more actors having access to destructive technologies, forces

will also have to cope with a potentially greater degree of uncertaintywith respect to how and against whom they will fight. Although broadtrends in warfare can often be discerned in advance, it will beimpossible to predict with certainty when, where, and for what purposeJoint Forces will operate.

Joint Forces must also adapt to the nations fiscal environment.Though some key capability areas will see increased investment, thecumulative impact of retrenchment in defense accounts will be reduced


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Elements of Globally Integrated

Operations

Mission command

Seize, retain and exploit the initiative

Global agility

Partnering

Flexibility in establishing Joint Forces

Cross-domain synergy

Use of flexible, low-signature capabilities Increasingly discriminate to minimize

unintended consequences

capacity in terms of overall force structure. While the armed forces arelikely to grow smaller, it is less likely their operational tempo willdecrease.

The operational challenge that emerges can be summarized as

this: How will future Joint Forces with constrained resources protect U.S.national interests against increasingly capable enemies in an uncertain,complex, rapidly changing, and increasingly transparent world?

3. The Concept: Globally Integrated Operations

Globally integrated operationsis the concept for how the Joint Forceshould prepare for the security environment we will soon face. Itrequires a globally postured Joint Force to quickly combine capabilitieswith itself and mission partners across domains, echelons, geographicboundaries, and organizational affiliations. These networks of forcesand partners will form, evolve, dissolve, and reform in differentarrangements in time and space with significantly greater fluidity thantodays Joint Force.

The strength of our Joint Force has always been its ability tocombine unique Service capabilities to project decisive military force.The concept of globally integrated operations aims to accelerate andexpand how the Joint Force musters decisive force. At its heart, theconcept envisions the integration of emerging capabilitiesparticularlyspecial operations forces, cyber, andintelligence, surveillance andreconnaissance (ISR)with new ways of fighting and partnering.Together, this will achieve higher levelsof military effectiveness against thethreats we will most likely face.

There are eight key elements toglobally integrated operations:

First, globally integratedoperations requires a commitment to theuse of mission command. Mission

command is the most appropriatecommand philosophy for theincreasingly uncertain futureenvironment because it empowersindividuals to exercise judgment in how they carry out their assignedtasks. First and foremost, it exploits the human element in jointoperations, emphasizing trust, force of will, intuitive judgment, andcreativity, among other traits. This ethic of decentralization empowers


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subordinate leaders to advance their commanders intent through themost effective means at their disposal. A new generation of digitalcollaboration technology enables us to realize mission command in evenmore powerful ways. Mobile devices with reach-back to network-basedservices will allow distributed commanders and staffs to collaborate as

though co-located. Developing networks that can simultaneouslyintegrate secure and non-secure communications will widen the circleof actors who can support a given operation, allowing diversestakeholders to contribute insights and expertise in real time. Futuremission command will thus be highly collaborative as seniors andsubordinates join in a circle of feedback, initiative, adaptation, andmission effectiveness.

It is important to note that while mission command is thepreferred command philosophy, it is not appropriate to all situations.Certain specific activities require more detailed control, such as the

employment of nuclear weapons or other national capabilities, air trafficcontrol, or activities that are fundamentally about the efficientsynchronization of resources.

Second, globally integrated operations must provide the ability toseize, retain and exploit the initiative in time and across domains.Controlling the pace of operations is a key part of maintaining militaryadvantage. Especially in a conflict that plays out in multiple domains,our operational campaign design must enable us to decide and directfaster than our adversaries. Building on the command philosophy ofmission command, developing leaders with the ability to understand the

environment, visualize operational solutions, and provide decisivedirection will be essential to mission success.

Third, globally integrated operations both enable and are premisedupon global agility. As with todays force, all joint operations will beginfrom an initial posture of bases, home-station forces, forward-deployedforces, and prepositioned stocks. However, the increasing speed atwhich events develop will place a premium on swift and adaptablemilitary responses. To achieve this, globally integrated Joint Forces canuse capabilities such as cyber and global strike to rapidly bring combatpower to bear. Massed formations will remain an option but

increasingly they will not be the option of choice. Further, smarterpositioning of forces, as well as greater use of prepositioned stocks andrapid expeditionary basing, will increase overall operational reach.More nimble command and control will also allow resources to beallocated, shifted, and de-conflicted more fluidly among combatantcommanders as strategic priorities evolve. The result is a more agileJoint Force able to aggregate, reconfigure, and disaggregate as required.


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Fourth, globally integrated operations place a premium onpartnering. This allows expertise and resources existing outside theU.S. military to be better integrated in a variety of operational contexts.The complex security challenges of the future almost invariably willrequire more than the military instrument of national power. Joint

Forces must be able to integrate effectively with U.S. governmentalagencies, partner militaries, and indigenous and regional stakeholders.This integration must be scalable, ranging from the ability of anindividual unit to enroll the expertise of a nongovernmental partner tomulti-nation coalition operations.

Fifth, globally integrated operations provide for more flexibility inhow Joint Forces are established and employed. Current doctrinespecifies that Joint Forces be established on a geographic or functionalbasis, with geographic boundaries shifted as required. In the years tocome, security challenges are less likely to correspond with, or even

approximate, existing geographic or functional divisions. Future JointForces might therefore be increasingly organized around specificsecurity challenges themselves. This might be done globally, as U.S.Special Operations Command synchronizes counterterrorism operationstoday. Or it might be done on a more tailored basis, as a joint taskforce operating across multiple non-contiguous geographic areas toaccomplish its mission against a single threat. The assertion here isnot that mission-based Joint Forces will replace geographically orfunctionally-based ones. Geography remains the logical basis forconducting theater cooperative security, while some missions, such asstrategic deterrence, remain functionally distinct. Rather, the intent is

to explore hybrid command arrangements that provide greater flexibilityin how Joint Forces accomplish their mission.

The imperative for lateral coordination will be a distinguishingfeature of these new hybrid arrangements. The greater use offunctional or mission-based Joint Forces increases the likelihood thatmultiple commanders will operate in geographic proximity.Commanders relationships with one another in these scenarios willbecome increasingly complex. For example, a commander may besupported by another commander with respect to some issues andsupporting with respect to otherswith the aggregate effect being that

the two are mutually supporting. The functional need for lateralcoordination in future joint missions, and associated idea of mutuallysupporting commands, is one of the most important insights of theCCJO. Mutually supporting command is in many ways an extension ofthe practices that have evolved from a decade of joint combatexperience, in which a Joint Force commanders authority andrelationships with other Joint Force commanders are clearly specifiedby the establishing authority.


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Sixth,future Joint Forces will leverage better integration to improvecross-domain synergythe complementary vice merely additiveemployment of capabilities across domains in time and space. Whilethe U.S. military maintains unique advantages in every domain, it isour ability to project force across domains that so often generates our

decisive advantage. In the future, emerging capabilities and doctrinewill make cross-domain synergy possible at increasingly lower echelons.Future Joint Forces will thus be positioned to exploit even smalladvantages in one domain to create or increase advantages in others,compounding those mutually reinforcing advantages until theyoverwhelm an enemy. While cross-domain synergy is particularlyimportant to defeating anti-access efforts, as described in the JointOperational Access Concept, it should become a core operating conceptin all joint operations.

Seventh,flexible, low-signature or small-footprint capabilities such

as cyberspace, space, special operations, global strike, and intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) will play more pronounced roles infuture joint operations. These capabilities represent unique sources ofU.S. military advantage. While they have become more prominent inrecent years, forces have employed them as adjuncts rather than asintegral parts of joint operations. Going forward, their fuller integrationwill continue to expand our combat power. Just as we have learnedhow to integrate special operating forces with general purpose forces,further integrating these flexible, low-signature capabilities across theforce has the potential to dramatically increase the effectiveness of otherstanding capabilities. Low-signature capabilities also add to our

strategic flexibility and global responsiveness. They are rapidlydeployable, largely able to operate independently from logisticallyintensive forces, have operational reach, and can be persistent.Perhaps most significantly, their use does not always constitute anirreversible policy commitment.

Finally,future joint operations will be increasingly discriminate tominimize unintended consequences. The increased transparency of thefuture security environment, where digital devices will be everywhere,heightens the need for force to be used precisely when possible. Thatsaid, combat operations will not consist solely of minimal violence

applied with surgical precision. Defeating determined enemies usuallywill require extensive physical destruction. Military force can be appliedoverwhelmingly and broadly, but its effects must be limited as much aspossible to the intended targets. While most obvious in the case of fires,discrimination applies also to maneuver and information operations. Inthe saturated information environment of tomorrow, even minor lapsesin conduct or the application of fires could seriously damage theinternational reputation of the United States. This reality places a


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premium on joint operations informed by values and professionalism.

* * *

Applying these eight ideas togethercollectively known asglobally integrated operationswill leverage present and futuresources of U.S. military advantage to improve tempo and adaptation.Globally integrated operations will enable commanders to cope withuncertainty, complexity and rapid change. It will improve acommanders ability to tailor the force to the situation. It will aid acommanders ability to scale military force as required. It will helpcommanders down to the lowest echelons exercise initiative andcoordinate locally while maintaining broader situational awareness.

More broadly, globally integrated operations will encouragecollaboration across the Joint Force and with partners. It will allowstakeholders to bring differing perspectives and capabilities to bear oncomplex challenges. Finally, by enhancing military effectiveness evenas U.S. forces grow smaller, it will allow us to be better stewards offiscal resources as we defend the nation and its interests.

4. Select Implications for Joint Force 2020

The operational concept advocated for in this CCJOglobally integratedoperationsentails potentially significant implications for forcedevelopment. The following is an initial list of implications bywarfighting function and partnership strategies.

Command and Control:

Use joint professional military education to realize missioncommand in joint operations. Each of the Services implement someversion of mission command in the conduct of joint operations, butdifferences exist owing to characteristic missions and primary operatingdomains. Ensuring the principles of mission command in play at theService level can function together in joint operations requires acommon understanding of its varying manifestations and how theymight be harmonized. A renewed focus on the command environment

in Joint Professional Military Education is therefore critical. Missioncommand must be further understood in the context of the moderninformation environment, including advancements in command andcontrol technologies and their vulnerabilities. Educating commandersand staffs to match command philosophy to the particular requirementsof each mission is also important, as is imbuing commanders withrestraint as communication technologies could increase the propensityfor micromanagement.


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Force Development Implications

Use joint professional military education to realize

mission command in joint operations

Develop portable, cloud-enabled command andcontrol technologies for commanders and their staffs

Enhance our ability to operate in a degraded

environment

Explore how mutually supporting command can help

construct command relationships tailored to specific

future threats

Become pervasively interoperable internally and

externally

Maintain and enhance GPF/SOF integration

Develop analytic capabilities that correspond with the

wider array of threats

Improve capabilities that better fuse, analyze, and

exploit large data sets

Provide a fire support coordination capability that

integrates all fires

Improve capabilities to defeat anti-access and area

denial threats

Rapidly employable on a global scale

Develop deep regional expertise

Improve strategic and operational mobility

Improve tactical maneuver

Synchronize global distribution

Standardize tactics, techniques and procedures that

facilitate the shifting of forces

Improve cyber defense capabilities

Continue to improve defensive space capabilities

Integrate missile defense systems

Continue to develop and implement the Joint Logistics

Enterprise

Reduce operational energy requirements and develop

operationally viable alternative energy sources

Identify those agencies with which Joint Forces will

work most often and develop common coordinating

procedures

Field a mission-partner information environment to

facilitate integration with various partners

Develop portable, cloud-enabled command andcontrol technologies forcommanders and their staffs.

Paralleling the revolution inmobile technologies, newcommand and control platformshave the potential to untethercommanders from theircommand centers while alsoimproving their ability to buildsituational awareness, deviseplans, and direct operations.These technologies should allowcommanders and others to

access imagery and othersituational information todevelop, share, and reconcileoperational pictures. Making acommon set of command andcontrol applications available ascloud services will furtherenhance mission effectiveness.

Enhance our ability tooperate effectively in a

degraded environment. Givendramatic increases in the abilityof adversaries to disrupt,degrade or destroy cyberspaceand space systems, it isessential that Joint Forces beable to operate effectivelydespite degradation to thosesystems. Greater resiliencemust be built into technicalarchitectures, and the forcemust regularly train to operatein worst case degradedenvironments.


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Explore how the notion of mutually supporting commandcan help construct command relationships tailored to specificfuture threats. Globally integrated operations within the context ofincreasingly interconnected security challenges may require futureJoint Forces to be established based on the nature of the challenge

itself rather than pre-established geographic or functionalresponsibilities. We must begin experimenting now with mutualcommand and hybrid command architectures.

Become pervasively interoperable both internally andexternally. Interoperability is the critical attribute that will allowcommanders to achieve the synergy from integrated operations thisconcept imagines. Interoperability refers not only to materiel but also todoctrine, organization, training, and leader development. Within JointForces, interoperability should be widespread and should exist at allechelons. It should exist among Services and extend across domains

and to partners.

Maintain and enhance general purpose force and specialoperating force integration. The high levels of effective integration ofgeneral purpose forces and special operating forces achieved over thepast decade, as well as the similar integration of operations andintelligence has provided a synergy enabling the Joint Force todominate adversaries in todays conflicts. This level of integration mustbe maintained and enhanced where possible in order to meet futurechallenges.

Intelligence:

Develop analytic capabilities that correspond with the widerarray of threats and contexts in which they will occur. In order toaddress the broader set of security challenges that characterize thecoming threat environment, the Joint Force must develop analyticcapabilities and tradecraft that provide broader intelligence to decisionmakers, including a focus on the precursors of war and greatertechnical and cultural expertise.

Improve capabilities that better fuse, analyze, and exploitlarge data sets. The military now captures an exploding amount ofdata that can be stored digitally. We need better techniques to mine itin the service of specific operational needs. Advances in machinelearning, automated processing, and machine-analyst interaction areneeded.


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Fires:

Provide a fire support coordination capability that integratesall fires, including cyber. Key to maximizing cross-domain synergywill be fielding a system for planning, requesting and directing all

available fires so any element of a Joint Force can access the mostappropriate supporting arm. In particular, realizing the global potentialof Joint Forces will require that previously niche capabilities, such asoffensive cyber weapons, are available to Joint Force commanders.

Improve capabilities to defeat anti-access and area denialthreats. The ability to gain operational access and maintain freedom ofaction is being threatened by advanced anti-access and area denialcapabilities. Developing mature fires able to deter and defeat thesethreats is a priority.

Movement and Maneuver:

Rapidly employable on a global scale. As a nation with globalresponsibilities, the forces of the United States must be able to operateeffectively anywhere in the world on short notice. This can be achievedthrough multiple means. Massed force, deployed to the scene, iscertainly one way. Low-signature and low-footprint capabilities, suchas cyber and global strike, can also project force quickly. Versatility,too, plays a role. Forces suitable for a variety of missions, if smartlypositioned, maximize the chance of being prepared for a crisis.

Develop deep regional expertise. While the ability to operateglobally is critical, the last decade of war clearly illustrates the benefit ofincorporating an understanding of political and cultural differences intomilitary operations. Maintaining regional expertise within the armedforces will therefore remain an important requirement, especially whenit comes to cooperative security, counterinsurgency, andunconventional warfare. Likewise, even as we maintain an ability tooperate globally, we must continue to calibrate the posture of our forcesto the particular security dynamics of individual regions.

Improve strategic and operational mobility. Growing liftcapability, decreasing lift and sustainment requirements, and theintelligent use of prepositioned equipment could each improve strategicand operational mobility. Determining the most cost-effective mix ofthese various approaches will require careful analysis consideringtechnology advancements and expected fiscal constraints between nowand 2020.


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Improve tactical maneuver. After a decade of focus on therelatively confined geographic limits of stability operations andcounterinsurgency, the Joint Force and especially its groundcomponents must restore their ability to maneuver over distance.This will require innovative and collaborative approaches to training in

order to achieve this objective affordably.

Synchronize global distribution. Achieving global agilityrequires adequate transportation capabilities and the ability to quicklyopen sea and air ports in or near the operational area. Creating thosecapabilities, in sufficient capacity, will be critical to implementingglobally integrated operations successfully.

Standardize tactics, techniques and procedures acrosscombatant commands to facilitate the shifting of forces. Theability to shift forces fluidly from one combatant command to another

necessitates a certain amount of standardization between thosetheaters. Forces must train and exercise standardized tactics,techniques, and procedures in both joint and Service-specific training.The desire for global standardization should not, done correctly,undercut the unique requirements of combatant commanders.

Protection:

Improve cyber defense capabilities. Given the heavy reliance ofJoint Forces on military computer networks and civilian criticalinfrastructure, it is essential that Joint Forces be able to defend key

systems and ensure the continuity of critical network functions in theface of disruption.

Continue to improve defensive space capabilities. Given theheavy reliance of Joint Forces on space systems and the rapidlyincreasing proliferation of counterspace systems, it is essential thatJoint Forces be able to protect friendly space capabilities, includingdefensive space control and space situational awareness capabilities.

Integrate missile defense systems. As missile technologyimproves and proliferates, missiles will become a major threat todeployed and deploying forces and even to forces in the homeland. Aconcept predicated on global agility requires the ability to protectagainst such a threat. Integrating existing capabilities into acomprehensive defensive system will be as important as developing newcapabilities.


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Sustainment:

Continue to develop and implement the Joint LogisticsEnterprise. The Joint Logistics Enterprise is critical to achieving theglobal agility envisioned in this concept. Facilitated by secure

enterprise-wide visibility into logistics processes, resources andrequirements, the enterprise will promote the efficient and responsiveglobal management of resources.

Reduce operational energy requirements and developoperationally viable alternative energy sources. Energy is thelargest share of logistical requirements. Improving how forces useenergy, especially reducing demand for liquid fuel, will decrease theamount of combat power that must be dedicated to transporting thoseforces. Improved energy efficiency will also enhance operationalendurance and mobility. In concert with reducing energy requirements,

developing alternative energy sources will lead to a greater number ofoperational options.

Partnership Strategies:

Identify those agencies with which Joint Forces will work mostoften and develop common coordinating procedures. Just as theServices must not retreat from the search for higher levels of integrationas joint combat operations slow, so must we continue to refine how wework with our interagency partners. Realizing higher levels ofpartnership will require identifying those agencies Joint Forces will

work most often with and then developing common coordinatingprocedures and interoperability standards.

Field a mission-partner information environment to facilitateintegration with various external partners. The Joint Force willpossess a more advanced command and control system than almostany potential partner. The burden thus falls on the Joint Force tocreate the information environment that will facilitate partnerintegration. Any such environment should provide the ability tocollaborate across multiple security levels without the need forsegregated hardware systems.


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Risks of Adopting this Concept

The communications required by this

concept may be unavailable

Partners may be unable or unwilling

to integrate

The pursuit of advanced technology

may prove unaffordable

An overemphasis on decentralization

may lead to lack of coordination and

inefficient use of scarce resources

The armed forces may fail to achieve

the required level of global agility

Standardization may lead to

decreased diversity, flexibility,

versatility and, ultimately,

effectiveness

Elimination of redundancies may lead

to operational brittleness and risk

The emphasis on organizationalflexibility may limit operational

effectiveness

5. Risks of Adopting this Concept

Adopting this capstone concept carries with it potential risks.

The communications required by this concept may beunavailable. The greatest risk to a highly-networked Joint Force isthat robust, global communications are not available because of enemyoperations, budgetary shortfalls, the failure of expected technologicalimprovements to materialize, or simple operational friction. The abilityof Joint Forces to operate effectively according to this concept willdecline in relation to the number of units that cannot network with oneanother. Ensuring redundancy and diversity for criticalcommunications links and providing forces with adequate training withalternative communications systems will help mitigate the risk. In theextreme, elements of the Joint Force operating in highly-contestedcommunications environments will have to remain effective even when

acting autonomously.

Partners may be unable orunwilling to integrate. There couldbe a variety of reasons why a partnermight not be able to integrate closelywith a Joint Force, includingtechnical, political, legal, security,financial, or cultural reasons. Forthat matter, there also may be caseswhen the United States is unable or

unwilling to integrate with partnerforces. When that occurs, the utilityof this concept will decline.

The pursuit of advancedtechnology may proveunaffordable. This conceptenvisions Joint Forces enabled byadvanced technologies in globalcommunications, networkedoperations, space, cyberspace,

robotics, platforms and lift. Suchtechnologies, especially in a time ofrestricted budgets, may proveprohibitively expensive to develop anddeploy.

An overemphasis on decentralization may lead to lack ofcoordination and inefficient use of scarce resources. Militaryoperations are trending toward decentralization. That is, reliance upon


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smaller units of action to accomplish more limited objectives. Taken tothe extreme this could drive us to inadequate force structure or tounaffordable force structure. We must find the optimal point inbetween.

The armed forces may fail to achieve the required level ofglobal agility. A fundamental assertion of this concept is that Joint

Forces with decreased overall capacity can continue to meet their globalrequirements through increased agility. This will depend on severalfactors, most important of which may be that forces themselves arerapidly deployable and that sufficient lift be available and properlypostured to deploy them global distances.

Standardization may lead to decreased diversity, flexibility,versatility and, ultimately, effectiveness. Standardization in theinterest of interoperability could lead to homogeneity throughout the

force, which threatens the very idea of jointness as the complementaryemployment of diverse Service capabilities.

Elimination of redundancies may lead to operationalbrittleness and risk. Some redundancies are merely inefficient andcan safely be reduced without penalty to operational effectiveness.Other redundancies provide alternative means to accomplish anobjective, which can be critical in war when losses due to enemy actionare commonplace. Eliminating those redundancies can make a JointForce less flexible and more brittlethat is, more easily disrupted andless resilient in the face of enemy action.

The emphasis on organizational flexibility may limitoperational effectiveness. Globally integrated operations emphasizeorganizational flexibilitythat is, the ability of practically any unit tointegrate with practically any other. But truly effective integrationbetween Services requires familiarity, trust, and teamwork created byrepeated joint training, as well as the precise combination of specializedskills. Forces must not enhance their modularity at the expense oftheir mission effectiveness.

6. Conclusion

Future Joint Forces will face an increasingly complex, uncertain,competitive, rapidly changing, and transparent operating environmentcharacterized by security challenges that cross borders. Conflicts couldarise with other states or with increasingly powerful non-state actors,both of whom have access to advanced weapons.


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This capstone concept advances the notion ofglobally integratedoperationsto address the operational challenge arising from the futuresecurity environment. Joint force elements postured around the globecan combine quickly with each other and mission partners toharmonize capabilities fluidly across domains, echelons, geographic

boundaries, and organizational affiliations. These networks will form,evolve, dissolve and reform in different arrangements in time and spaceas required with significantly greater fluidity and flexibility than docurrent Joint Forces.

The strength of any Joint Force has always been the combining ofunique Service capabilities into a coherent operational whole. FutureJoint Forces will routinely employ more such combinations than everbefore, with partners as well as within the Joint Force, to achieveefficiencies and synergies not previously feasible. The assertion is thatthrough globally integrated operations, Joint Forces will remain able to

protect U.S. national interests despite constrained resources.

Globally integrated operations rely on mission command toprovide the adaptability and tempo essential to future operations. Itmust provide the ability to seize, retain and exploit the initiative in timeand across domains. It is predicated on significant global agility soforces can aggregate, reconfigure, and disaggregate fluidly as required.It leverages the participation of partners. It presents more flexibleoptions for establishing Joint Forces and enables cross-domain synergyat increasingly lower echelons. It plans for cyberspace, space, specialoperations, global strike, and global intelligence, surveillance and

reconnaissance capabilities to play more pronounced roles in futurejoint operations. Finally, it helps future joint operations be increasinglydiscriminate to minimize unintended consequences.

The institutional implications of adopting this capstone conceptare potentially dramatic and wide-ranging, and will far exceed thosenoted by this paper. We offer it so that all of us can begin exploring itsvalidity and what it might achieve for the Joint Force of 2020.


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Capstone Concept for Joint Operations—Joint Force 2020

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